


Electric Dreams

by so_soft_boy



Category: Polygon (YouTube) RPF
Genre: Body Horror, Boystos, Breaking Reality, Car Boys - Freeform, Existentialism, Light Angst, M/M, Non-Chronological Order, Religion, Time Bullshit, Virtual Reality, basically everything you’d expect dealing with the car boys universe, buckle your got dang seatbelts, this is the good end neutral end bad end all at the same damn time, unreality
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2017-07-16
Updated: 2017-08-02
Packaged: 2018-12-02 18:13:50
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 4
Words: 4,141
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/11514768
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/so_soft_boy/pseuds/so_soft_boy
Summary: Forever is a long-ass time for things to happen in. Anything can happen in the span of forever, and for that matter, everything does happen in the span of forever.  Godhood is attainable, time isn't real, and reality is a lot more flimsy than anyone would like.Under those circumstances, it almost makes sense to fall in love with your best friend.





	1. we're still cycling through stages of grief

**Author's Note:**

> [insert typical rpf disclaimer here]
> 
> this is some very experimental writing for me and things might not all make sense for a little while, but i do have a plan for this, i promise

They talk about a lot of things, in their car ride to eternity.

They talk about those surreal few seconds of isolation before they wound up back in their shitty, awful, safe car together. How it felt like moments and days. They talk about their lives before that, discussing shows and movies the other had never seen and now will probably never get to watch. Their childhoods, their school experiences, their careers and what they had been planning on doing next.

Sometimes they talk as if it will only be a little longer that they’re stuck here. How, very soon, they’ll get out and get back to their normal lives and continue right where they left off.  Sometimes they talk like they’re never getting out, and this really is going to be forever for them. Sometimes Griffin is angry again, angry at the Blob for existing, angry at himself for wanting to drag Ball along on this hell adventure, angry at Nick for everything. For a long time, he’s just angry at Nick.

“I could have done something, maybe set something up so that, I don’t know, Justin could try to get us out or something,” Griffin is yelling, gesturing wildly. “ I didn’t get to say goodbye or anything. I could have talked to my family one last time, had a little bit of closure before being stuck here, in this awful car, with you, forever!”

Usually Nick doesn’t really listen to these rants, just tunes him out and mutters “yeah” and “sorry” until Griffin tires himself out and goes to sleep. He’s listening now though, and growing increasingly frustrated.

"Sometimes you just don't get to say goodbye," he mutters under his breath, but Griffin hears, because of course he does.

"Really, Nicolas?" He says in the most mockingly incredulous tone possible. "I can't imagine what that would be like! That seems absolutely awful! I can't be-LIEVE it.”

"I didn't get to either!" He shouts, throwing his hands up hard enough that they glitch through the roof of the car for a second. Wincing, he crosses them over his chest again, slumping lower in his seat and pointedly not looking at the other man.

“...Wait, what?”

“I didn’t get to say goodbye to anyone either.”

“But you - when you told me to get ready, what the fuck were you doing?"

"I dunno, making sure we wouldn't actually die?" Nick says, slowly sliding down in his seat as he talks. "I went neck deep in the settings of the game to make sure that if anything happened, we would respawn, instead of everything crashing and something following us out, like Busto did. Or erasing us entirely. We saw that thing eat wooly world."

Griffin is silent, and Nick presses on. "It worked, obviously, we’re not separated forever or stuck as beams or dead. We can respawn, but something fucked up and it thinks we belong here now."

Nick's chin is pressed into his chest now,and his eyes are fixed firmly on the bottom of the steering wheel in front of him. He continues, softer now, losing steam as he talks. "So we're stuck, we're  probably immortal, and if I had known any of this was going to go the way it did, I... God, I wouldn’t have dragged you along at all. All this is my fault, it was my responsibility, I never wanted you to get hurt. I'm sorry"

The car is silent. They've been tired of Candle in the Wind for a while now.

"Why didn't you tell me?" Griffin asks eventually, and his voice sounds funny.

"I thought it would be easier to blame me," Nick admits. "I already was."

"You were just going to let me be angry at you forever?"

Nick shrugs.

"Why?"

“I dunno.” Nick shrugs again, pushes himself up a little, drags his hands down his face. “I deserve it? I don’t know.”

“Nick,” Griffin whispers, laying a hand on his shoulder. “You don’t deserve that. You don’t deserve any of this.”

“It’s my fault.”

“We both messed up.”

“I should have seen this coming.”

“Hey, I can’t really blame you for not expecting a time ring in the heart of your car simulation game.”

Nick chuckles at that, and turns to look at Griffin. He’s tense, his forehead wrinkled in concern and nervousness, but when their eyes meet his expression softens and he smiles.

“I’m sorry for getting so angry at you,” Griffin says, but Nick shakes his head.

“You don’t need to apologize.”

“I want to.”

“Oh. Okay. I forgive you, then.”

Griffin laughs, the nervous sound he makes when he’s unsure what to say or do. He rubs his thumb on Nick’s shoulder and he puts a hand on Griffin’s knee. They anchor on each other, on the touch, a point of reality in the endless void. They stay like that for a while, the silence fortunately more thoughtful than awkward.

“Do you want to get some sleep?” Griffin asks eventually. When Nick hesitates, he adds, “I can take the driver’s seat, if it’d help.”

Nick nods, and the next few minutes are full of accidental elbowing and curses as they try to swap places in the tiny space. When they’re settled, they both sigh with relief.

“There’s probably not much point in being in the driver’s seat,” Nick admits. “It just seems wrong not to have someone keeping an eye out. Just in case.”

“Whatever helps you sleep, bud,” Griffin says, shrugging. “I get it.”

“Can I lean on you?”

“It’s your fault if you end up with a sore neck.”

“I don’t care.”

“Go for it.”

Nick curls up with his head against Griffin’s shoulder. He hasn’t fallen asleep in the car before, he’s not sure if he can, but the warmth against his cheek and the steady hum of the engine are soothing. It doesn’t take long for him to fall into blissful unconsciousness.


	2. tritone

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> A conversation.

 

**big momma** -Today at timestamp unavailable

uv seen the fanart for the end of car boys right?

 

**the_pencil_rain** -Today at timestamp unavailable

The end of car boys?

 

**big momma** -Today at timestamp unavailable

yeah the ep that went up today was the last one right

unless you two have something else up ur sleeves

i’m not sure how u could top that tho

 

**the_pencil_rain** -Today at timestamp unavai̢la̷ble̵

Car boys isn’t over

 

**big momma** -Today at times̵ta҉m̨p un̸av̸a͡il̕able

not in the peoples hearts

 

**the_pencil_rain** -Today at t̕im҉est̴a̴mp un͜͜͝a̕͜v̵͝͝ai̸lą͞b҉l̡̕e̶ ̶͠

Right, that was the last episode

In our hearts it will go on

And of course in the time ring

 

**big momma** -Today at t͞i̛͟mes̶͞t̨a̡m̧p̶͜͡ ̶u̸͡n̵͞a͜͠v̶̧a̡͘͢i̶҉l̴a̵͜͡b̴̷͘ļ̶e̵͘ ̴̸

lmao ya

u want links? i found dope art on twitter

 

**the_pencil_rain** -Today at tt̸͢͝i̷̕͢m͡͠҉e̴s҉҉̶ţa̷m̵͘p ư̸n̡̛͢av̢a̷i͟͝l͠a̷͜͞b̕͘l͟e̢͠ ̸

I don’t want to see car boys stuff right now.

I don’t want to see car boys stuff right now.

I don’t want to see car boys stuff right now.

I don’t want to see car boys stuff right now.

I’m sure I’ll come across some soon, I want to encounter it naturally.

Free range farm grown car boys.

Sustainably harvested and delivered straight to your door

Yeah gimmie that unCUT shit

 

**big momma** -Today at t̶̕͏̛͡_͢͟m̵̸̢̛̕ę̛s̸̴̡t͢͞͞͠a̴̷͘͟m͡͏̢̛͜p̷͡ ̴̧ư̴n҉̧̧a҉̸̧v͘͘͡a̵̡͜i̕͢͏͏l̕_̷̕͞b͏̸̶l̴҉̷e̢͟͠

hey more power to ya

what is up with ur discord tho that message sent like 4 times

 

**the_pencil_rain** -Today at  ̷̴͞im̡̕͜͠e͢s̷̵̨͘͜t̶̡a̴̴͢͞m͢͢͞p̸̕͡͠ ̶̨̢̧u̸̸̷̡̡ ̶̛͜͝a͢v̨͜҉̛͝a̶͜i̶̧̛l͟ ̸̕͢b̷̡͜͞͡l̴̛͜͡

I don’t want to see car boys stuff right now

 

**big momma** -Today at t̶̶͞i͟͏̶͜m̶̢͟e҉͞s̨̛͘҉ţ̴̸̡͜ ҉ ̶̨̕p̨͝ ̛͘͞ư̷͞ ҉҉̧a͘͢v̧͡͝a̕͡҉i͝l͟͡a̕͘b̶̢̡l̴͡e̴̷̶͜

ya that one

you okay? you’ve been acting kind of weird recently

 

**the_pencil_rain** -Today at t̶̢͟͡i̷̛͜͡m̡̕҉̵ę̛ is̸̷̛͢ ҉̶̕ ͏҉̸ ̧̧̨͢͏ ̶͡ ̛͡ ̵̵̵̡ ̧͡u ̢͢ ̵̴͘͞ n̸̡ą̢͘͜v̷̡a͢i҉̵̕͜l̶̢͜a͡͏̷b̶͠͏͜l̴̸̢͞e̸̶͝

I’m f͟i̖̬̘͉̩n̶̦e̥̳͈͓̗̟͎_̛̫͈̫̭̻̺͇͟?_͎͇̟͎̺͍͈̺̘͘͝_̛̼̬̭͉͇͇̙̝͕̠̟͍͔̗̦͈̯̕ͅ_̡̧̪͉̘͈͚̞͡ͅͅ_̴̨̢͇̥͍͔̣̜̘̙̭̤̭̲͚̖̙͍̠_̸̢̲̬͉̠̯̟͕̩͓͓͓͇͖͜͞_̨̯̖̖͇̟̰̰̤̮͍͓͎̲̭̗͘͡ͅ_̶̛̤̤̖̖̙̮͕̲̜̭̞̞̼̗̫̥̥͟͠_̖͓͙͈͞

  
  
  
  


̺͇̹̣̳̫̝̫̣̦͒̒̾͌ͨ͋͛ ̘̬̣̳͚͕̲̼̳̺ͨ͌̃ͧ͂ ̹̗̥̖ͣ̃̅ͤ̏̀̌ͫͤͨͨ̍̆ͭ ̼̬̹ͬ̎̍̃ͮͧ̾̾ͬͬ̿͊̇ͧ̓̉ͧ̆̚ͅ ̦̹̙͍̼̥̊͂̊̓ͣͅͅ ͉̬̗̪͉̙͖͔̣̮̹̯̼͕̘͈ͫ̑ͪ̉̐̔̾̈́ ̬̹̜͈̜̪̳͓̘͉̻̹̫̙̖ͦ̅ͥ̈́ͦ ̜̠̫̣̞͍̗̻̙̼̦̳͍ͫͦ̾̾̌̒̓̀̌ͨ ͇̞̭͈̪̪̻̓̎ͩͨ͗̔̏̃̃̇ͩ͆̾̐ͥͭ̋̚ ̥̪͇̤̹̝͉̤̝̥̰͙͓̭͚̬͇̃̋ͪ̑͆͑̈́̌͊ͩͨͫ̅͌̓̂̃̿͌ ̬̱͙̯̗͉̻̗͉̂ͦ̋ͦ̇͐͌ͮ̓̌̌̐̔͌̃ ̣͈̞̯͇̽̑ͣ͂ͦ̄ͤͣ̌ͨ́̇̽̌̒͐ͧ̇ ̱̙̱͚̻̗̭͔͖̜̭̯͔̣͈̟̳̯̌ͯ́̐ͧͫͩ͑̋̑̀͌̆̀̚ ̙̘͈͚͖̱͎͔̹̯̫̘̺̞̖̮̓̂̉̉ͣͬ̚ͅ ̭͈͔͙̱̝̎̓͒ͧͤ̐ ̱̮̙̣̩̯̬̺̫̬̰̖̳̯̮̳͎͎̑ͫ̈̑͑ͫ͂̃ͥ͋̚ ̩̮̫̰͙͙̪̼̹͔̮̝ͬͤͮ̈̂̐̔̐ͭͨͥͅͅ ̜̯͖̻̞͇̬͎̻̩ͭ̃̋ͥ̚ͅ ͈̯̜̤̞̼̳͉͙͚̩͕̝͓̤͙̣͔͆̓̑̈ͧͣ̍ͅ ̼̙̣̰̘͓͎ͣ̓̀ͭ̃́͌̌̿̆ ͔̠̲̗͚̙̙͂̋ͣ͑͊̌͛̈́̽̒ͥị̭̜͖̜̮͇̘̜̭͔͚̖̱̟͎̽̀͑͂ͦ̍̅̈́'̼̟̖̼̈́ͩ̾ͪ̆̋̇ͤͨ͋̈ͮͪ͂̂̋ͧm̗̙͈̱͓͍̳̜̬̗̓̐͂̽̄ͩ̃̃͌ͥ̉͋͑ ̹̦͍͎͎̪̜̥̭̫̖͙̩̣̰̟̑͂̉͛f̝͇͔̰̖̜̄̓̔ͧ̄ͫ̾i͔̗̖͎̥̖̬͇͚͍̙̦̗͚̩̜͆ͧ́̒͌̐͌ͅn͍̬͔̩͔͉͉̺͉̩ͣͭ̒ͨͨ͋̊ͬ͐ͭe̬̖̥̲͓̼̠͙͋ͮ̏ͫ̔̽͑ ͎̗͎̟̘͍͚͚̦̬͎̗̩͖̦͆ͩ̑̇͑́͒̔̈ͯ̀̓̐ͫ̄ͤ̀ͦ̚ͅ ͕̤̝͕͓̺̩͖̳͚̩̹͂ͪ͗̔ͫ ̩̠̗̗̩͉͈̥̠͉̜͈͖̯͍͍͈̋́̇̈̎͒͋̑̑͆̈͗͑ͦ́́͗ͨ̍ ̦̙̘̼ͫ̈́̐ͩ̈̃͊ͧ͗̆ͅ ̗̘͍̠̺ͪ͛ͨ̒ͩͨͯͥ̓̐̅ͩͤͮ͛ͤ̈ ͉̦͔̀̎̾̃ͣͣ̉ͨ̔̃̒̾̀̿ͭ͌ ̤̼̲̪͙̫͈͉̩͇̬ͬ͌ͦ̋͗ͯ̽ͯ͆̐ͣͮ̓͒ ͙̭̘͓̬̙̭̣̦͔͈̙͑͐̏̚ ͓̱͔͍͎̩͔̩̰̾͗̍ͪͦ͋ͭͣͣ̽ͬ̑̏̑̓͋ ̰̣̲̫̙̖̖͓̻̭̠̯̦ͮͩ̆ͤ̏͐͗͋͑ͩ͋͊͛͆͑̅͌͊ ̼̰̹̰̯̝͍͍͕͙̒̋̿͑ͧ͊̔͒̚ ̖̯͙̻͙͙͍̟̮̙̩ͥ͛͗ͨ͒͋̽ͥ̉ͧ̈́̔ͣ͌ͪ̓̔̍ ͕̥̠̽ͮ͒̿͛͑̈́͆ͪ̚ ̫̭̗͓͚̘̫̑̊ͬ̐̐ͭ̀ͮ͐̀͛͆̚̚ͅ ̩̗̺͖̠͙͓̤̥̤͓̫̔ͯ͛̅̊͊͂ ̥͓͖͎̣̏̃ͮ̎͗̈́̍͐͊̂͋͒̄ͥ

  
  


**Notes for the Chapter:**

> tiny update, a longer one will go up later today or tomorrow
> 
> this isn't supposed to make sense


	3. god ray

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Getting trashed.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> that body horror tag? it applies here.

When Griffin wakes up, it all seems okay at first. They had crawled into the back seat and Nick is still lying on top of him, head on his chest, breathing in the regular rhythm of sleep. His warm weight is familiar and soothing, and the idea of drifting off again is tempting, but he woke up for a reason.

Something is wrong.

Everything outside is the same expanse of grey it always is, their enemy still far behind them, their allies still close enough to see. Ball and Ovo spin through the void with them. Nick is just sleeping, his dark hair messy and almost getting in Griffin's face as usual, his white jacket soft under Griffin's hands. The car's motor is still purring, never running out of gas. The seats are in the exact position they were in when they drifted off. But there is a new feeling in the air, like the tension before a thunderstorm, the bite of ozone.

Wait, Nick's jacket? Why had that stood out to him?

"Nick, wake up," Griffin says, shaking him gently. Nick sucks in a deep breath and nuzzles Griffin's chest, humming sleepily. "Really wake up, please."

"What's up?" He mumbles, not making any move to get up further.

"I think something's wrong." Nick giggles at that for some reason and Griffin frowns. "I'm serious, dude, I have a really bad feeling."

"No, I know. You're right," Nick says, shifting to prop himself up and face Griffin. It seems like those few seconds of movement take a million years. Griffin is holding his breath as Nick faces him with his eyes closed, a small serene smile on his lips. He pushes his hair back in what feels like slow motion and Griffin takes in everything that is wrong: the sickly pale skin, the unfamiliar white jacket, the gloved hand he's running through his hair. When Nick opens his eyes it feels like the whole world is slipping away, because there is no familiarity, no soft gaze. The eyes that meet his own wide ones are glassy blue without whites or pupils, two oceans that Griffin is floundering in, drowning in.

"I'm just surprised it took you so long to notice."

There is an impression of sharpness, the dull stab of something happening to his virtual body. Nick is fragmenting in front of him. The only other human here, his best friend, is splintering. Black and white polygons and spires of flesh stab out of Nick, through the car, through Griffin, who is screaming and clutching at him desperately, trying to hold him together. He can't do anything to stop it. The spires unfold and fill his vision, he can't see or feel Nick anymore, there is just an endless white space around him and he is alone _again_.

Then everything goes dark.

 

 

 

 

Instability detected. Vehicle restored and game paused.

 

 

 

 

 

Nick is forced awake as the car returns to its default state and it feels like being pulled out of a frozen lake. He gasps and jerks forward, clutching the steering wheel instinctively. Technically, he doesn't need to breathe in this virtual world, but it feels like the wind has been knocked out of him. His whole body is shivering as he takes gulping breaths and leans his head against the wheel. This isn't right. This isn't normal. Nothing like this has happened before.

He doesn't know how long it takes to notice the almost painful pressure on his wrist.

When he straightens up and turns towards Griffin, he doesn't miss the way the other man flinches at the movement. His hand is clasped around Nick's wrist in a vice grip, and Nick finally hears Griffin's voice over the ringing in his ears, his name whispered repeatedly like a prayer.

"What... What happened?"

"Nick, you- Nick," Griffin stutters and forces himself to pause and take a deep, shuddering breath. "You turned into god trash, Nick."

"I _what?_ "

"You turned into god trash," Griffin repeats. He tugs Nick's hand off the wheel to clutch it tightly.

"Why? How?" Nick asks, looking around outside the car for any explanation. Everything is normal, nothing is close enough to them to have recently caused a reset. The Ovo has banged into them before, but it usually ends up right next to them after that. The Blob is still moving at the same speed as them, never to catch up.

"I don't know! I was trying to wake you up and you just..." Griffin makes an expanding motion with his free hand. "Went."

"I was asleep?"

"You were lying on top of me in the back, remember?" Griffin's eyebrows are knitted together in concern, and he looks more scared than Nick has seen him in a long time.

"I was basically asleep, I guess." His memory is fuzzy. He barely remembers laying down. Maybe something about resetting while he was out is messing with it. He hopes it's just that.

"And I woke you up. You said... Something weird."

Nick's mind is racing. Before any of this, the game couldn't touch them. The worst it could do was kick them out of the game, but the Blob changed that. It was leaking into their consciousnesses, threatening to overtake them. In trying to save them from being erased, he may have doomed them in more ways than one. The game can impact their forms now, so even though they can come back from basically anything, they're confined to the laws of this world, esoteric as they are. The realization hits him like a truck.

They're game objects now. They've become the toys they spent so long playing with.

"Nick? Nicolas? Hey, Nick, talk to me."

"I fucked up."

"Hey, you're fine, it's all gonna be okay."

"No, I... I really fucked up."

"Shh, it's okay," Griffin keeps reassuring him as Nick shakes his head. He follows Griffin's gentle tugs without thinking about it, letting himself be led into the other man's lap, feet resting in the driver's seat and his head on Griffin's shoulder. He leans into the hand running through his hair and sighs.

"We're really part of the game now," Nick mumbles.

"Yeah, I know."

"We can get god trashed."

"Yeah," Griffin laughs. "I saw."

"That's probably why I can't control stuff anymore."

"I guessed that was it."

"You figured this out a while ago, huh?"

"When you told me what you did, yeah," Griffin says, and presses a kiss to Nick's forehead.

"Why didn't I figure this out sooner?"

"'Cause you're a dingus."

Nick chuckles at that, and falls silent. They're holding onto each other like it's the only thing keeping them together.

"And because it's scary to think about," Griffin adds quietly.

They stop talking about it.


	4. here at the end of all things

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Much earlier, and also much later, some things occur.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> hey, thanks for reading and thank you so much for the comments!! i am not sure what comment etiquette is so i have not responded to every one, but i love them all and they give me so much motivation to write.
> 
> here's some of that time bullshit i mentioned

"Where's the Blob?" Griffin asks, but there's no answer this time. "Where are you? Where's - Nick?" He turns, searching, but the virtual representation of Nick that has been with him this whole time is nowhere to be found. "Nick? Nick? Oh god, is it just me? Nick?!" There is hardly anything around now. The forest he had caught a glimpse of is disappearing, the colorful lightshow is giving way to grey. "Nick, are you still in here?"

He's floating in empty space. The only response to his calls is silence. The grey is disappearing and being replaced by something he can't comprehend. It's not grey anymore, but it's not any other color either. It's nothing. It's the absence of anything. Trying to look at it feels like having a toothache in his eyes, so he squeezes them shut.

He just needs to quit the game. They've gotten disconnected before. Quit the game. It's no big deal. Quit the game. He knows how to handle this.

Something happens then.

 

* * *

 

"It's really - I need a fucking degree to understand what's happening here," Nick says, still making jokes to deflect how stressed he is. When Griffin asks where the Blob is he tries to go check. Normally, the two of them would move together to a new observation point near the next selected object.

That's not what happens.

This time, he ends up somewhere blindingly bright. He shuts his eyes and throws his arms up in front of his face but it doesn't do anything to reduce the glare. It's like the light is in him, under his eyelids. He doesn't know where the hell this is; he can't hear Griffin anymore; he can't access his controls; he...

He wakes up on the hood of their wrecked car. Actually on it, not just floating in the air next to it. Whatever that light was, it's gone now. He looks around at the grey hellscape that is becoming all too familiar.

"Griffin?" He calls. "Griffin, can you hear me?"

The vast expanse does not answer. That's fine. 

 

* * *

 

What happens is this:

Griffin blinks in sudden daylight. Somehow he ripped off his VR headpiece while he was still in the game. Actually, he had ripped everything off, and just about thrown himself out the harness that is supposed to allow for all kinds of flailing. His head aches, and there are points of pain all over where electrodes had been stuck to his skin. The VR rig is powering down with a mechanical sigh. It might be broken. He can't bring himself to care.

Clair de Lune starts playing from his phone, and the sound of it makes his stomach turn. Or maybe it's just a side effect of being jerked out of VR so fast. Regardless, he stumbles across the room to scoop it up.

He answers the phone and says "you're okay?" before the phone is even up to his ear, but he still catches Nick's relieved laugh through the speaker.

"I'm fine. Fuck, I'm so glad you're okay." Nick's voice sounds so much farther away than it did in the game.

"It was kinda touch and go there for a second. Also, I've been attacked by the world's most precise porcupine."

"Yeah, it'll do that to you. I'm ready to nap for a week."

"What even happened?"

"I think... We won?"

"That was winning?"

"We lured the blob into a time hole. But we got out. I think it's trapped?"

"Maybe." Griffin pauses for a second. Why have they been so freaked out about it? It's just a video game. It can't do anything to the real world. "Or we finally broke the game for good."

"I guess so. I'll see if I try to boot it back up."

"So. Think this is the end of Car Boys?"

"I don't know what else we could _do_. What a finale, right?"

"It will be when you finish editing everything, I'm sure."

Nick groans, and it makes Griffin smile. He's already feeling better. The panic of briefly being in that vast nothingness has begun to subside.

"I'll get around to that eventually," Nick says. "We recorded for way too long, I need to eat before I pass out."

"Me too," Griffin lies. He knows he should be hungry, but his stomach is still twisted into knots. He doesn't really want to hang up. "I'll talk to you soon, yeah?"

"Of course! Bye, Griffin."

"Bye, Nick."

 

* * *

 

It's all fine.

Nick has had to do this before and it sucks, but it works. He just hopes Griffin knows how to do it as well. Bracing himself, he lifts his hands up and pulls hard.

The VR headset pops off and clatters on the floor. He yanks off straps and cables and launches himself out of the rig, collapsing in a heap. It won't shut down properly, but he can deal with that later. There are more important things to be worried about. Sprawled out on his rug, he drags his phone out of his pocket and calls Griffin. It only rings once before he answers.

"You're okay?" Griffin asks before Nick can even open his mouth, and he laughs with relief.

"I'm fine." Everything is fine. "Fuck, I'm so glad you're okay."

"It was kinda touch and go there for a second," Griffin sounds shaken, but he's putting on a light tone. "Also, I've been attacked by the world's most precise porcupine."

Nick's skin prickles sympathetically. "Yeah, it'll do that do you. I'm ready to nap for a week."

"What even happened?"

"I think..." In all honesty, he has no idea. "We won?"

"That was winning?"

"We lured the blob into a time hole. But we got out. I think it's trapped?"

"Maybe. Or we finally broke the game for good."

"I guess so." Nick glances at his VR rig. It's making distressed whirring noises. "I'll see if I try to boot it back up."

"So. Think this is the end of Car Boys?"

"I don't know what else we could _do_. What a finale, right?"

"It will be when you finish editing everything, I'm sure."

Nick rubs his hand over his face and groans. He's not looking forward to sifting through however many hours they recorded trying to cut it down to a reasonable length.

"I'll get around to that eventually. We recorded for way too long, " He says and his stomach growls. "I need to eat before I pass out."

"Me too. I'll talk to you soon, yeah?"

"Of course!" He doesn't really want to stop talking now. It would probably be weird to ask to stay on call though. "Bye, Griffin."

"Bye, Nick."

 

* * *

 

What happens is this:

The game pulls them back into their places in the car. They both see the instability message in the corners of their eyes as usual, but the game hasn't actually paused. If it did, it unpaused itself right away, because they're still drifting through this surreal plane of light and colors. Griffin turns to look at Nick and sees the relief he feels reflected in the other's face.

"That was kinda a doozy, huh?"

 

* * *

 

It's all fine.

Instability detected. Vehicle restored and game paused.

They're back in the car. It's not ideal, but it's better than being stranded apart from each other. Nick's plan worked, which is also probably why he has collision physics now. But he can't think about the ramifications of that right now. Griffin is grinning at him, and it eases the anxiety he's feeling. As long as they're together and safe, there's nothing to worry about.

 

* * *

 

What happens is this:

"Nicolas?" Griffin yells again. "What's going on? Where are you?! Nick!"

Nothing. He forces his eyes open again and looks around frantically. The last shreds of grey are disappearing without a trace. There's no sign of anything. There's no sign that anything at all has ever been here. He can see himself but even that seems off somehow, grossly out of place in this void. Thrashing in place, he screams at the top of his lungs at the opressive nothingness. The sound dies almost as soon as it leaves his mouth. It's not enough to fill up the all-consuming silence.

Nothing is.

Nothing happens.

Eventually, he gets used to that.

 

* * *

 

It's all fine.

Nick respawns the car and breathes a sigh of relief when it works, but his breath catches as he realizes he's the only one there. Griffin should be here too. He waits, counting to keep track of time. Maybe it's just taking longer for him to come back. When he hits sixty, he reloads the car again and is met with the same empty passenger seat. He counts to thirty and tries again. And again. And again. And again.

He loses track of how many times he's forced the car to reload around him. With a choked sob, he lets his head fall against the steering wheel. Nothing is working. He's cut off from reality. At this point, he has no idea if he's even alive. He can only hope the same thing hasn't happened to Griffin.

It's going to be okay. Everything is going to be fine. Everything is completely okay. It's okay. It's okay. It's okay.

If he says it enough, maybe it will become true.

 

* * *

 

In the multiverse, everything that can happen does happen, and has happened, and continues to happen. If any of it followed rules like "time" and "common sense" you could think of it as all happening simultaneously. For the most part this is all well and good. 

However, one of the strongest rules of the multiverse is that everything that can go wrong, will. Not all in the same universe, necessarily. Sometimes it's spread out over several, but somewhere, something that can go wrong does go wrong. So sometimes things get a little messy. Sometimes things go wrong with the multiverse itself, and time and space collide and break apart and recombine in new and interesting ways. You end up with occurrences like extremely smart devices taking information from one universe and then relaying it to another one. You end up with things like people filling the shoes of their own dead mentors.

Sometimes, you end up with gods.


End file.
